Reports from northern Iraq say the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized a mainly Turkoman city near Mosul -- despite claims by Iraq's government that it had "regained the initiative" against the Al-Qaeda splinter group.

Residents of Tal Afar, about 60 kilometers west of Mosul, told the Reuters news agency by telephone early on June 16 that the city fell to ISIL fighters after a battle with heavy casualties.

One city official said: "Shi’ite families fled to the west while Sunni families fled to the east."

RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reports that ISIL fighters on June 15 shelled an army base at Al-Baghdadi in Anbar Province. It also reported clashes in Ramadi, Fallujah, and Germa to the northeast of Fallujah.

Government officials said they recaptured some towns north of Baghdad from ISIL on June 15 -- including Ishaqi in Salaheddin Province.